Foreign hackers are hijacking social media accounts in Taiwan to spread disinformation aimed at damaging the reputation of the armed forces, the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau (MJIB) said yesterday.
The newly identified cyberoperatives hacked into devices connected to the Internet, such as surveillance cameras and facial recognition systems, to gain access to social media accounts on the forum Dcard and the Professional Technology Temple (PTT) bulletin board system, the bureau said in a news release.
China-linked hackers impersonating Taiwanese air force pilots have used the accounts to write posts about alleged poor pay and working conditions in the military, it said.
Photo: Reuters
One post said that many pilots were willing to face NT$3 million (US$92,914) in financial losses rather than renew their military contracts, while another said that the author was leaving the military for the civilian sector to have more time with their family, the bureau said.
On PTT, an account named “ss900287” amplified the messages by posting a link to a photograph purportedly showing a list of retired military pilots applying for jobs at China Airlines Ltd (中華航空), it said.
The Air Force Command’s efforts to debunk the fake stories have been met with a surge of similar posts on 170 abnormal Facebook groups, including “The Strait Today” (今日海峽), “Commentary by the Commander” (提督) and “You Ban, Me Mad” (你下架我狂), it said.
Chinese hackers have targeted facial recognition systems, digital cameras and other network devices to obtain personal data, which they have used to steal social media accounts, the bureau said, citing an investigation by its cybersecurity unit.
Assuming the identity of genuine users has allowed Beijing to enhance the apparent authenticity of the disinformation, it said.
The external forces responsible for the disinformation campaign used data de-identification techniques and rerouted their activity to mask their identities and location, the bureau said.
Social media platforms were notified and asked to ban the groups and users connected to the incidents, it said.
Taiwanese should enhance the security of networked devices and protect their accounts by using strong passwords and regularly updating them, it said.
In other news, fishers in Penghu County reported spotting a flotilla of Chinese fishing boats using fake Taiwanese radar transponder codes in waters southwest of the county’s Cimei Township (七美).
The boats pinged as Taiwanese vessels on radar, but upon visual inspection were clearly identified as being of Chinese origin, sources said.
Chinese fishing boats can be identified by their black hull paint and illegal vessels would be expelled upon detection, the Coast Guard Administration said.
The reason for the Chinese boats disguising their transponder code is not known, the agency added.
Additional reporting by Liu Yu-ching and CNA
DAREDEVIL: Honnold said it had always been a dream of his to climb Taipei 101, while a Netflix producer said the skyscraper was ‘a real icon of this country’ US climber Alex Honnold yesterday took on Taiwan’s tallest building, becoming the first person to scale Taipei 101 without a rope, harness or safety net. Hundreds of spectators gathered at the base of the 101-story skyscraper to watch Honnold, 40, embark on his daredevil feat, which was also broadcast live on Netflix. Dressed in a red T-shirt and yellow custom-made climbing shoes, Honnold swiftly moved up the southeast face of the glass and steel building. At one point, he stepped onto a platform midway up to wave down at fans and onlookers who were taking photos. People watching from inside
A Vietnamese migrant worker yesterday won NT$12 million (US$379,627) on a Lunar New Year scratch card in Kaohsiung as part of Taiwan Lottery Co’s (台灣彩券) “NT$12 Million Grand Fortune” (1200萬大吉利) game. The man was the first top-prize winner of the new game launched on Jan. 6 to mark the Lunar New Year. Three Vietnamese migrant workers visited a Taiwan Lottery shop on Xinyue Street in Kaohsiung’s Gangshan District (崗山), a store representative said. The player bought multiple tickets and, after winning nothing, held the final lottery ticket in one hand and rubbed the store’s statue of the Maitreya Buddha’s belly with the other,
‘COMMITTED TO DETERRENCE’: Washington would stand by its allies, but it can only help as much as countries help themselves, Raymond Greene said The US is committed to deterrence in the first island chain, but it should not bear the burden alone, as “freedom is not free,” American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene said in a speech at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research’s “Strengthening Resilience: Defense as the Engine of Development” seminar in Taipei yesterday. In the speech, titled “Investing Together and a Secure and Prosperous Future,” Greene highlighted the contributions of US President Donald Trump’s administration to Taiwan’s defense efforts, including the establishment of supply chains for drones and autonomous systems, offers of security assistance and the expansion of
STREAMLINED: The dedicated funding would allow the US to transfer equipment to Taiwan when needed and order upgraded replacements for stockpiles, a source said The US House of Representatives on Thursday passed a defense appropriations bill totaling US$838.7 billion, of which US$1 billion is to be allocated to reinforcing security cooperation with Taiwan and US$150 million to replace defense articles provided to the nation. These are part of the Consolidated Appropriation Act, which the US House yesterday passed with 341 votes in favor and 88 against. The act must be passed by the US Senate before Friday next week to avoid another government shutdown. The US House Committee on Appropriations on Monday unveiled the act, saying that it allocates US$1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative
RSS